Demar 1/2 Marathon Race Report

I figured I better get to writing my race report from our New Hampshire half since I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to California.  We will be crossing California off our list of 50 states on Sunday morning.  Did I mention we completed New Hampshire back in September?  I'm clearly the queen of  procrastination these days!  Our friend, Marilyn, joined us for this half marathon.  We took advantage of the close proximity of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and flew into Boston.  Lucky for us, Marilyn lives in Massachusetts so we stayed with her the first two nights of our trip.  We went into Boston to sight see on Friday.  The weather wasn't the best but we still had a great time.

Saturday morning we did a little shopping and had lunch in Marblehead.  Once we were done in Marblehead we took to the car and made our way to New Hampshire.  We checked into our hotel, stopped by the expo to pick up our race packets, and had a lovely dinner and of course a few drinks.





Sunday morning we got ready and headed to the race start.

The weather forecast was HOT,HOT, HOT so we decided to walk the race for safety purposes.  Deb, Marilyn, Nikki and I stayed together until about the 12 mile mark at which point Deb and I went ahead a bit.  At the 12.5 mile mark, Deb asked me what my watch said.  I looked at my watch, and told her what it said.  She asked if I wanted to run the rest of the way and I said sure.  I can tell you we did not run the rest of the way however at the 13 mile mark Deb asked me what my watch said again and I told her.  She simply said "run" so I did.  We crossed the line and Deb asked me one last time what my watch said.  Our finish time was 3:49:50.  She said "oh good, I wanted to finish under 3:50".  Originally she was hoping for a 3:45 finish but with the heat and a longer than usual bathroom stop, it wasn't really in the cards. 

Marilyn and Nikki finished shortly after us and we all stopped for a picture and then headed back to the car.

We grabbed showers and a bite to eat and headed back to Massachusetts so Deb, Nikki, and I could catch our flights home.

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 19 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

February in Review

February turned out to be quite a bit more successful than January.  One of my neighbors went on a nice tropical vacation which left another neighbor in need of a 4:45 AM running buddy so I agreed to join her.  Thankfully it was just the push I needed as I have not been motivated with my running at all lately.

February 2017 Stats
48.38 running miles
2.28 walking miles
50.66 total miles




Current 2017 Stats
57.96 running miles
4.61 walking miles
62.57 total miles


February brought with it some very cold runs and some nice warm runs (for February).  Overall it was an okay month but I really need to work on increasing my mileage!

Up next is March in Review.  I've been majorly slacking in the blog department!!


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

January in Review

Well this is certainly not the January in Review I envisioned after my first run of 2017! 

First run of 2017

January 2017
9.58--running miles
2.33--walking miles
11.91--total miles


Current 2017 stats
9.58--running miles
2.33--walking miles
11.91--total miles


After my January 1st run I was lacking motivation and kept choosing sleep over getting out there and running.  With some convincing from my neighbors I managed to get out there again on January 11th.

Guilty!!!

Two days later our family headed to Seven Springs for a long weekend getaway.  I had packed my workout gear and had every intention of running until......

my ankle had a run in with the steps moments after we checked into our hotel.  And that is how my plan to workout was stopped dead in its tracks. 


Of course we had a bit of a heat wave the weekend after I took my tumble and I sat in my house feeling like this when I saw all the runners pass by my front window.

I feel your pain kid!

Tomorrow will be three weeks since my tumble.  I ran for the first time this morning and I felt okay so I will take it. 


As I said at the beginning of this post, this is not how I saw January going but it is what it is and there's always next month!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

November and December in Review

I figure since I am on a blogging roll today I will knock out my November and December in Review in one post!  It's not going to be very hard to accomplish this since I didn't run or walk a single step in the month of December. 


November 2016
**Very limited running this month as I was sidelined with a major chest cold.**
19.35 running miles
.06  walking miles
19.41 total miles

One of my three whole runs in November (13 of my 19 miles happened this day)

December 2016
**I really have no excuse for this mileage (or lack thereof).  I was plain lazy and then I ended up with yet another chest cold**
0 running miles
0 walking miles
0 total miles





Current 2016 Stats
 574.36 running miles
 34.84 walking miles
 609.2 total miles

Clearly I needed to put just a little more into it in 2016

In the end my running in 2016 was a far cry from what it has been in past years but sometimes you just need to give yourself (and your body for that matter) a break.  I have gotten in one run so far for 2017 so I am at least moving in the right direction.  I don't have any goals/mission for 2017 at the moment but I will be thinking about what I want to improve upon in regards to my mind, body, and soul.


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me.

Marshall University Half Marathon Race Report

Yes this half marathon was the first weekend in November and I am just now getting around to blogging about it.  I really need to do better!!

Friday

Nikki and I took to the car to head to Columbus for the night as Deb was flying into the Columbus airport from Chicago and we were her ride to the Columbus hotel as we decided to stay near the airport Friday night and then head to West Virginia on Saturday morning.  As Deb's flight wasn't due in until after 10:00 PM Nikki and I met up with our friend, Dave, at California Pizza Kitchen for some dinner and ice cream.  We did a little "window" shopping at the mall that we ate at and then headed to our hotel to check in and wait for Deb's arrival.  After we grabbed Deb from the airport we spent some time catching up and then it was time to grab some shut eye.

Saturday

We grabbed a quick continental breakfast at our hotel in Columbus and then got everything packed up and got on the road to West Virginia.  The drive was very pleasant and quite uneventful.  We stopped for a late lunch and then went straight to the race expo to grab our things for race day.  It was a very small expo but we didn't mind as we weren't really looking for anything in particular for race day.  Nikki did buy a jacket as the weather forecast had changed.

Nikki, Deb and I at the expo

Once we had finished at the expo we headed to check into our hotel which was about 30 minutes away from the race start.  We were able to secure a late check out and just relax for awhile before we headed out for some dinner at The Wine Valley.  After finishing dinner, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night relatively early.

The Wine Valley

Our wine samplings

Sunday

We were up bright and early for our 30 minute drive to the race start.  It was quite chilly but we knew it was supposed to warm up relatively quickly so we were quite happy about that.  While waiting for the race to start we were very cold though so we were wishing the race would have started sooner rather than later.

Trying to stay warm at the start line

The course was very nice and relatively flat.  I especially enjoyed running past the water. It was a very nice view.  Considering I was coming off my slowest marathon ever, my only goal for this race was to try and run an even pace for all 13 miles.  I am happy to say that I came pretty close to achieving that goal.

Miles 1-6:  9:43, 9:33, 9:33, 9:28, 9:37, 9:23

Miles 7-13.24:  9:26, 9:23, 9:32, 9:32, 9:16, 9:44, 9:53 and 2:04(8:46 pace) for the final .24

The finish line

Nikki's finish

Nikki waiting for Deb to finish

Deb's finish

After all three of us crossed the finish line we headed back to our hotel to clean up and get ready to head back home.  We stopped and had lunch at Fat Patty's before getting back on the road to drop Deb off in Columbus for her return flight home.

Nothing like a burger and a beer after a half marathon

We returned Deb to the airport much earlier than her scheduled flight so she tried to get her flight changed to arrive home early but that didn't work out for her.  Instead, she ended up getting a nice chair massage while she waited for her flight.  Nikki and I headed back to Cleveland and declared it a successful weekend.

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 18 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!



October in Review with a small Columbus Marathon Report

I am happy to say that I am actually getting to last month's review in a timely manner.  Maybe I can get myself back on track with my blogging however only time will tell.


October 2016
76.63 running miles
2.02 walking miles
78.65 total miles





Current 2016 Stats
 555.01 running miles
 34.78 walking miles
 589.79 total miles


October wasn't too bad overall.  I had some bad runs and some really good runs but in the end I am grateful to have my health that gives me the ability to run!


Let me start with my bad run.  I ran the Columbus Marathon on October 16 and it was my worst run in October.  Trisha and I planned to run together for the duration of the 26.2 miles but my body had other ideas.  I was able to run through mile 10 but then I had to ask Trisha if we could walk a little bit at the end of the next few miles and she kindly agreed.  I considered turning off at the 1/2 marathon split but realized I needed to finish what I started and set an example for my children.  By mile 14 I sent Trisha on her way.  It was hot and I was struggling.  Right around this point I saw Dave on the course and had a bit of an emotional breakdown on his shoulder.  He talked me through it and I continued on my way.  Fast forward to mile 16 and I had yet another breakdown on Dave's shoulder and then pressed on.  After mile 16 my body would not let me run.  I would try and I would almost immediately have to slow to a walk again.  I would end up walking the last 10 miles of the marathon and developing awful blisters at mile 23.  I did manage to wog (walk/jog) across the finish line but it HURT!!  I am happy to report that Trisha ran a PR race despite my need to stop and walk earlier in the race!  I vowed after the marathon that I was retiring from that distance!  I am going back to my first love, the 1/2 marathon!!

Expo!

Race Morning

Starting Line

Ran into Patty at the start

Fireworks

Now for the good run.  I had the chance to meet up with my friend Joanna for a nice 8 mile run the last weekend in October.  The scenery of the Metroparks and the wonderful conversation made it a great run!  Breakfast afterwards was a nice little bonus as well!!

Joanna and I at the Metroparks

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

May/June/July/August/September in Review

I can't believe how long it has been since I sat down and wrote a blog!  I have really been slacking with this.  It's pretty bad when you realize you have to do a post that reviews the past 5 months because you just couldn't pull yourself together to get it done before today!


May 2016
*Ran two 1/2 marathons this month leading to the increased mileage
87.08 running miles
2.03 walking miles
89.11 total miles

Cleveland 1/2 Marathon

Green Bay 1/2 Marathon

June 2016
*Lacked motivation this month leading to the decreased mileage
38.53 running miles
 2.25 walking miles
 40.78 total miles


July 2016
*Training for the Columbus Marathon this month leading to the increased mileage
 88.13 running miles
 5.10 walking miles
 93.23 total miles


August 2016
*Vacation and daughter's skating competition this month leading to the decreased mileage
 67.50 running miles
 1.83 walking miles
 69.33 total miles

September 2016
*Took a hard fall on the sidewalk this month leading to the lower than planned mileage
 74.69 running miles
 .76 walking miles
 75.45 total miles



Current 2016 Stats
 478.38 running miles
 32.76 walking miles
 511.14 total miles


Overall my training doesn't look too bad.  I ran the Columbus Marathon this past Sunday and it was by far my worst marathon finish to date.  More on that later....


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Green Bay 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Friday
Nikki and I flew to Chicago on Friday evening as we would be staying with Deb and her family Friday night and then driving to Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon.  The airport was very uneventful and we were the only two people in the security line.  I was randomly assigned TSA pre-check but it really didn't benefit me much at the Cleveland airport.  Oh well!  Once we had been picked up from the airport we made a quick stop for ice cream and then made it to Deb's house.


Saturday
Deb's husband, Jeremy, was planning to run the 1/2 with us so he ran some errands for the trip while Deb, Nikki, and I headed out to breakfast.  After breakfast we went with Deb to watch Andrew (Deb's son) play in his soccer game. Andrew and Ellie (Deb's daughter) were both planning to stay behind in Chicago with friends but Ellie's plans fell through so Deb asked me to text Ellie and see if she wanted to run/walk the half with me.  In the end Andrew stayed behind and Ellie came with us.  Once we made it to Wisconsin we headed to the expo to register Ellie and pick up everyone else's packets.  We didn't stay at the expo to long as everyone was pretty hungry.  We enjoyed a nice dinner and a drink and then headed back to our hotel to get some rest.


Sunday
We met in the lobby at 6:00 AM and grabbed some food and then headed out to the race start to try and find parking.  We arrived and parked quite easily and then headed inside to use the restrooms before the race start.  We also took some pictures while we were waiting as the 1/2 marathon started an hour after the full marathon.

"The Girls"



"The Girls" and Jeremy

We eventually made our way to the start line and Ellie hugged her parents and we went to her corral.  She was definitely a bit nervous but I explained to her that we would take it at her pace and whenever she wanted to walk we would walk.  I actually had in my mind that we would probably run for 3 minutes and then walk for 1 minute based on the fact that Ellie is on the track team and I knew she could run for awhile.

Ellie takes good start line selfies

We started out slow and when my watch said it was time to walk, Ellie wasn't ready so we continued to run to the first mile marker and then we walked for a short while.  I did mention to her that my rule was that she had to walk for at least a minute each time we took a walk break.  For the most part we would walk at the start of the next mile and then we would run until the  next mile marker or the water stop (whichever came first).  Ellie really did an amazing job out there!  She listened to everything I told her to do and she did not complain once!  That says a lot for a 14 year old who had never run further than 3 miles that morning!  Ellie really enjoyed reading the signs and talking with the other runners.  There was even an older runner that was trying to get Ellie to race him but she was good and listened to me and didn't wear herself out (and yes she did beat him in the end).  As we entered the stadium, we saw Nikki coming back out to finish.  Ellie was smiling and seemed quite happy.  We crossed the finish line, side by side, in 2:41.  Upon our arrival, Deb and Jeremy were standing there waiting for us.  I was slightly confused as I thought "why didn't they say anything to us when they passed us on the course".  Deb then explained that Jeremy was struggling with his knee and some other issues so they ended up dropping out of the race around mile 5 and walking back to the stadium so they could see Ellie finish.  Since this race allowed us to cross Wisconsin off our list of 50 states, Deb will have to "make up" Wisconsin at a later date but Jeremy said he would do it with her!  Poor girl still has to "make up" Alabama as she was incredibly sick and couldn't make it.

Incredibly proud of this little lady!

We headed back to the hotel to shower so we could head back to Chicago as Nikki and I had a late evening flight.  We made a quick stop to grab some food for lunch and figured we would grab dinner in Chicago before we made our way back to the airport.  We made it back to Deb's house and we helped them move some furniture, as they are having work done on their house, and then Deb, Nikki, and I headed out to the cute Mexican restaurant down the street to grab some dinner.  The food was delicious as always (yes, I had been there before).  It was now time to head to the airport to catch our flight.  Let's just say the Chicago airport was much more eventful than Cleveland was.  Nikki was lucky enough to randomly get TSA pre-check.  I on the other hand had to stand in a very long security line.  Thankfully my gate was literally right outside of security but I was definitely cutting it close.  It didn't help that right as it was about to be my turn some very important looking airport people brought several people up and let them cut in front of me because "they were going to miss their flight".  Needless to say, I wasn't thrilled as I feared I was also going to miss my flight.  In the end, I did make it in time but it was slightly overwhelming!!

See our state status below!

Complete a half in all 50 states status: 17 states and D.C. completed

Completed states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.


While we were in Wisconsin we did discuss our next state.  We are definitely leaning toward Marshall University in West Virginia in November but we are hoping to possibly get another state in before then.


Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

March and April in Review

Somehow I did manage to increase my mileage for March and April but it's nothing to write home about as the miles still ended up being on the low end.  I have done better this month so hopefully the next review will be more exciting!!  Once again I am combining two months as I just seem to be on the go constantly and have a hard time find a period in the day where I can actually blog.

March 2016 Stats
32.40 running miles
1.66 walking miles
 34.06 total miles

April 2016 Stats
 34.04 running miles
 1.49 walking miles
 35.53 total miles

Current 2016 Stats
 122.45 running miles
 20.79 walking miles
 143.24 total miles

I am still hoping the May will be a better month with me running the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon this Sunday and state #17 next Sunday!  There has been serious talk of training for the Columbus Marathon so that should also help kick start my mileage next month and into the summer months.



 Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

January and February in Review

Since I haven't come up with any missions for 2016 and I'm just "going with the flow", my month in reviews will be a little different than in the past.  The truth of the matter is I wasn't very motivated to run or workout in January or February.  It was too easy to choose sleep over the 4:45AM alarm.  It also didn't help that I was incredibly sick at the end of January and a few weeks into February.  I was hit hard with a sinus infection and I cough that wouldn't stop which made running quite difficult! 

January 2016 Stats
37 running miles
17.01 walking miles
54.01 total miles

February 2016 Stats
19.01 running miles
.63 walking miles
19.64 total miles

Current 2016 Stats
56.01 running miles
17.64 walking miles
73.65 total miles

The only reason for the high walking mileage in January was a family trip to Disney World!  We had a great time but boy were my feet sore from all of that walking!! 

My February mileage was even lower than January but I feel that I should count dancing as a workout since my cousin got married in February and I was on the dance floor with my cousins and friends the entire evening!

I am hoping the fact that my cousins want me to run the Cleveland 1/2 Marathon with them in May and the fact that Deb, Nikki, and I signed up for state #17 in May as well will be my motivation to get back on track with my running.  I also need to find the desire to incorporate other workouts (core, strength, etc) into my routine!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

December and Year End in Review

The good news is my December review is being completed the first week in January.  The not-so-good news, I didn't do so well with my missions for 2015.  I will write about my mission accomplishments and lack there of in this post.

December 2015 Stats
48.10-- running miles
2.19-- walking miles
0--biking miles
0-- stair workouts
0- monthly fitness challenge workout
50.29-- total miles

Current 2015 Stats
911.39-- running miles
48.12-- walking miles
2-- biking miles
3-- stair workouts
5.08-- monthly fitness challenge workout
961.51-- total miles

2015 Mission check-in

Mission #1: Complete 6 monthly challenges
Action Plan: Find monthly challenges online.
Action Plan: Actually complete the monthly challenge.
Mission #1 did not happen in December.  In fact I didn't even make an attempt....mission not accomplished.

Mission #2: Cross off at least 3 more states in Deb, Nikki, and I's quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states (we have 36 states left....we best get moving...we aren't getting any younger!!)

Action Plan: Research 1/2 marathons in the states we haven't completed yet.
Action Plan: Actually register and participate in said 1/2 marathons.

So far we have completed AL, AZ, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, NV, OH, PA, TN, TX, and VA

Mission #2 again saw no progress in December....mission not accomplished.

Mission #3: Run 1000 miles in 2015
Action Plan: Run.
Action Plan: Run some more.

Mission #3 came in at 48.10 miles in December.  Definitely not the mileage I needed to accomplish this mission (I fell 88.61 miles short)....mission not accomplished.






Mission #4: Complete 4 stair workouts per month (*Edited in February to read complete an occasional stair workout*)
Action Plan: Do one stair workout per week.
Mission #4 did not happen.......mission not accomplished.


Mission #5: Cook more and eat healthier
Action Plan: Plan ahead with recipes and food prep.
Action Plan: Utilize my crockpot more often.
Mission #5 was still successful in December....mission actually accomplished!

I have to take some time and decide if I'm going to come up with missions or 2016 or just "wing it".  Only time will tell!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

November in Review

Once again I'm getting my month in review just under the wire of the end of the next month!  I really need to work on this and be more efficient and timely in my reviews.  Especially since I just did my race report from state number 16 that we did in September (here).

November 2015 Stats
41.88-- running miles
1.68-- walking miles
0--biking miles
0-- stair workouts
0- monthly fitness challenge workout
43.56-- total miles

Current 2015 Stats
863.29-- running miles
45.93-- walking miles
2-- biking miles
3-- stair workouts
5.08-- monthly fitness challenge workout
911.22-- total miles

2015 Mission check-in

Mission #1: Complete 6 monthly challenges
Action Plan: Find monthly challenges online.
Action Plan: Actually complete the monthly challenge.
Mission #1 did not go at all in November.  Mission definitely not accomplished!!

Mission #2: Cross off at least 3 more states in Deb, Nikki, and I's quest to run a 1/2 marathon in all 50 states (we have 36 states left....we best get moving...we aren't getting any younger!!)

Action Plan: Research 1/2 marathons in the states we haven't completed yet.
Action Plan: Actually register and participate in said 1/2 marathons.

So far we have completed AL, AZ, FL, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MI, MN, NV, OH, PA, TN, TX, and VA

Mission #2 saw no progress in November either.  Mission not accomplished!!

Mission #3: Run 1000 miles in 2015
Action Plan: Run.
Action Plan: Run some more.

Mission #3 came in at 41.88 miles in November.  Clearly November was a much lighter month for me running wise. Still working on achieving this goal but not so sure that will happen since tomorrow is the last day of 2015.  I have 136.71 miles to go and it's not looking very promising since I know I haven't run a ton of miles in December.   






Mission #4: Complete 4 stair workouts per month (*Edited in February to read complete an occasional stair workout*)
Action Plan: Do one stair workout per week.
Mission #4 did not happen.......


Mission #5: Cook more and eat healthier
Action Plan: Plan ahead with recipes and food prep.
Action Plan: Utilize my crockpot more often.
Mission #5 has remained consistent for the most part.  At least one of my missions seems to be working out in my favor!!  

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!